Oilers 9-8-2 under Hitchcock

[missinthejets]

Chiarelli's biggest failing was hiring a coach not suited to the style of roster he built. Hitchcock is at least willing to say "OK we're a big team with a few skill players, let's play a heavy game and force teams to win board battles"

The results are not a coincidence. Yeah it's not the most exciting hockey but the Oilers right now are basically sucking the life out of opposing teams instead of letting them run up and down the ice like they were under Mclellan. Flames last night went offside a ton because they kept trying to dangle into the offensive zone.

 

[McFlash97]

I think Hitch has them playing a game that is more suitable for their roster. A trapish style with heavy back pressure works a lot better for them because A) outside a couple players, they're big and slow B) they've proven that a run and gun system doesn't work because of the reasons from A. I also noticed they have pretty good puck support and they are making shorter passes on breakouts, which helps a lot since most their dmen aren't overly good at longer first passes. It certainly hasn't hurt that their goaltending seems to be much better for the time being either.

I'm actually quite curious to see how this pans out over the rest of the season. So many teams seem to be focused on a higher pace of play and I think that the Oilers system could really put a monkey wrench in a lot of teams strategy. Good for them. Oilers fans have suffered enough over the last decade and a bit.

McDavid
Draisaitl
RNH
Nurse
Reider
Caggiulla
Puljujarvi
Kassian

Yah your assessment is way off. Outside of Lucic and Gravel, that is not a slow roster bud

The Oilers problem is not speed, its system work/back checking because we have a below average defense and finishing ability outside of the top 6.

 

[nightfighter]

Lol this article is awful. Sure, system might have changed, but all this picture shows is that the top guy in the slot for the Oilers is incompetent. Who is that?

Looks like Brodziak. All 5 guys puck watching

 

[McDNicks17]

True, teams like Detroit and Arizona are feeling the effects of not having any true high end talent. But they still each have a half dozen decent forwards and their depth blows Edmonton away. I guess it depends how you weigh superstar talent vs depth, but I would put all 3 of those teams toward the bottom.

This seems like one of those things that has been said so many times that people think it's a fact.

Sure, the Oilers depth isn't great, but in what way does a team with Mario Kempe-Brad Richardson-Conor Garland, Lawson Crouse-Nick Cousins-Josh Archibald as their bottom six "blow Edmonton's depth away"?

 

[twostroke27]

McDavid
Draisaitl
RNH
Nurse
Reider
Caggiulla
Puljujarvi
Kassian

Yah your assessment is way off. Outside of Lucic and Gravel, that is not a slow roster bud

The Oilers problem is not speed, its system work/back checking because we have a below average defense and finishing ability outside of the top 6.

I think our definition of fast is significantly different. That wasn't meant to be a slight against the oilers. It's just a fact when you compare them to a lot of other teams in the league but to each their own I suppose.

Their finish ability is bad outside of three players.

 

[2023FriendshipTour]

I think our definition of fast is significantly different. That wasn't meant to be a slight against the oilers. It's just a fact when you compare them to a lot of other teams in the league but to each their own I suppose.

Their finish ability is bad outside of three players.

Which is why they trap now. Pretty crazy a team with McD has to play this way, but Chia did a number to there overall skill.

 

[perronist]

here's hoping he squeaks the oilers into the playoffs, saving chia's job in the process, and gets them both long extensions!

 

[koyvoo]

Who wins in a 7 game series, Edmonton or Calgary?

 

[Liferleafer]

My kid is a big Oilers fan help:) so i have watched quite a few of their games....the biggest difference i see is that the forwards are paying much more attention to the defensive side of the game. Backchecking like the Kassian play last night is paying dividends.

 

[the_fan]

Wonder how long it will take until Hitchcock's strict coaching style will get to the Oilers players and they'll give up on him. Seems like that's what happens everywhere Hitchcock goes

 

[missinthejets]

Who wins in a 7 game series, Edmonton or Calgary?

Flames are too soft a team for my liking in the playoffs. Oilers at least can play that heavy game.

 

[Connor McConnor]

They've played much better of late and you could tell Hitch's #1 concern when he came to the team was their defensive game which isn't even recognizable when compared to McLellan's team. The goal scoring is still a work in progress but as others have pointed out, the Oilers had some grade A chances last night (Connor had 2-3, Drai 2-3, RNH a few etc.) that I would expect them to score on. Also that line of Lucic-Brodziak-Zassian has been amazing at controlling possession and playing physical.

Hitch has a history of making goaltenders jobs a lot easier because of the system he plays so I am not surprised to see our goalies do so well underneath him. The biggest concern for me atm is the PP. It is absolutely horrendous. They rely on McDavid for zone entry every single time, I rarely see a dump and chase. Also once they are setup it has too many moving pieces as Connor/Drai seem to float all over the place. Needs to have more structure. If we can fix the PP, our goals for would go up to a more reasonable level.

 

[vendetta]

This is such a simplistic and narrow minded view of things it doesn't even deserve a reply. Yet, here we are.

The Oilers are playing stiffling defense and not allowing very many high danger chances. The goaltenders are making big saves when they need to. The numbers may not be sustainable at the level Kostko is playing at but what's also unsustainable is the horrendous conversion of high danger scoring chances the team is failing to convert on.

And what is this nonsense about goals being called back contributing to their success? The goal last night was clear goaltender interference and the offside goal against LA was clearly offsides. Not determining factors in their success, no matter how much you want to spin this BS narrative.

Well the forwards are aweful and historically haven’t done anything in the scoring department. So no the offense isn’t gonna get better. These aren’t thirty goal scorers having a down year. These are marginal nhlers that have been tossed aside by former teams.

 

[MessierII]

Barry trotz

Barry Trotz was hired in the offseason.

 

[ManofSteel55]

Wonder how long it will take until Hitchcock's strict coaching style will get to the Oilers players and they'll give up on him. Seems like that's what happens everywhere Hitchcock goes

Sounds like he's only here to finish up the season, so I don't think anyone is worried about that. Plus, he said something recently that makes me question that a bit. He said his philosophy is (parahrased) "do what you want when you have the puck, but when you don't, you do what I want you to." Doesn't make him sound like much of a hard ass to me.

 

[MessierII]

Which is why they trap now. Pretty crazy a team with McD has to play this way, but Chia did a number to there overall skill.

They don’t trap. There’s no 1-3-1 or 1-4 going on. They forecheck like crazy.

 

[voxel]

I'm seeing less of the rim it around the boards breakout from the D with Hitch. Forward down lower and fewer bad D to F passes out of the zone. With E.Bouchard.. y ou could play the Todd Mc style of game but not with the current Oilers D.

 

[mtlmonk]

Pacific is on fire right now... it’s an underrated division

Underrated is the most overrated word in HF

 

[oobga]

They don’t trap. There’s no 1-3-1 or 1-4 going on. They forecheck like crazy.

From Hitch's comments, like how he is confused ("I don't know what was done here before...") why the D on our team were playing so conservative and afraid to get into the play once the puck got out of our zone, I'd actually consider Todd to have been closer to pushing a trap than Hitch. Team always played scared with a lead under Todd, and that burned us badly many time.

 

[GOilers88]

Um basing it
Off the oilers goaltenders aren’t gonna shatter records and finish with a .950 save percentage this year. It will regress eventually. And they don’t have the scoring to handle even slight regression

Cool story.

 

[Dynamite Time]

I know it’s only been 10 games but I don’t understand how he’s pulling the Oilers up after his whole year with Dallas last season was such a mess.

 

[McFlash97]

I think our definition of fast is significantly different. That wasn't meant to be a slight against the oilers. It's just a fact when you compare them to a lot of other teams in the league but to each their own I suppose.

Their finish ability is bad outside of three players.

Player by player the Oilers have some serious speed, the system had some clogs like Lucic, Gravel, Brodziak, Strome, that weren't being put in correct spots on the roster causing the Oilers to look extremely disjointed and slow. Strome has been let go, the other guys are put on the roster to do what Hitch wants then to do and not straddled with fast offensive players.

Hitch is a master of finding correct spots for players. He bought Puljujarvi back up and put him in the top 6. Not many teams can keep up with the Oilers top 6 of

McDavid
Draisaitl
RNH
Pulju
Reider
Caggiulla
Etc,

The Oilers problem is getting a mobile puck carrying dman and a good bottom 6 forward.

Eventually they will get those ...then all this talk about speed will go out the window.

 

[tony d]

They're doing good thus far under Hitchcock. Hope they continue the hot play.

 

[LamorielloAndSon]

Barry Trotz was hired in the offseason.

And it was a change for this season

 

[Rubi]

Congratulations to Oiler fans on the win. Looks like Hitchcock is having a huge impact on the Oiler's playing style. Koskinen is playing great. Looks like the Oilers have another Finnish Pekka Rinne.

I only watched the first two periods as I changed the channel at the end of the 2nd. I was starting to fall asleep.
Two thumbs up to all Oiler fans who have the stamina to watch this type of hockey for the next 50 or so games. I know I wouldn't.

However, no excuses about the loss by the Flames coming from me. The Oilers had a game plan and executed it perfectly. A lot of times teams play only as well as the other team lets them. Last night the Flames stars didn't deliver. Your star did. Last night the Oilers were the better team.